From the Eyes of the Storm
by BookLover223
Summary: With his best friend... no, with his brother dead he has two options. He can continue to live as he had for the last few months, or take up his dead friend's mantle. Written for the Garth Challenge. T to be safe.


**Disclaimer/ A.n) **I don't own anything but the words. This was written for The Garth challenge posted by Foot Prints in the Sky.

**From the Eyes of The Storm**

**Tempest: **a disastrous and destructive storm: a violent commotion or disturbance.

**"Sometimes a thousand twangling instruments, will him about mine ears; and sometimes voices, that is, I then had waked after long sleep, will make me sleep again, and then in dreaming. The clouds me thought would open, and shower riches ready to drop upon me, that when I waked I cried to dream again" ~ William Shakespeare _The Tempest_**

He was dead. How could he die? He was the strong one, the noble one. If he couldn't survive then how could they expect him to take his place? They had been friends for as long as he could remember. Their fathers had studied together and later served together as guards for the king. And even later yet died together for their king and queen. They had been raised together and despite their differences were brothers.

The day they had saved the king from Trident was the changing point for them. Garth hadn't wanted to take Trident on. He had wanted to swim for reinforcements, but Kaldur, Kaldur had rushed in to save their king. Garth seeing his friend tiring had run into the battle to defend his friend. Not his monarchy, not the man he was supposed to dedicate his life to, but his friend. After they had defeated Trident the king gave them a glorious offer, an offer that was near impossible to refuse.

Kaldur gladly took the offer ready to do as his father had done and throw down his life for his king. Kaldur was ready for the chance to see the surface, to go where almost no atlantians had gone before. Garth on the other hand wasn't ready he had hi studies, his mother, and if Kaldur left then there was the possibility that he might have Tula. Garth knew it was selfish of him, but he also knew that if he was going to be compared to Kaldur then he would fall short of the comparison. So Kaldur left and Garth stayed. The brothers were split, never to be reunited.

In the months following Kaldur's absence life had settled down. Garth was for once the one people looked to. He was the top student in his studies, he was widely looked up to for the incident with Trident, and he was dating Tula. Life was perfect and then Kaldur came back. Garth was ashamed that he felt resentment toward his old friend. He felt that if Kaldur came back then everything that he had built in the last few moths would be destroyed.

He would later feel even more guilt when he Tula hid their relationship from him. They hadn't wanted to hurt him, but the reason he had come back was overly clear. Garth couldn't help the feeling of superiority during the battle later as he explained what he had learned in his studies. That feeling later disappeared as Kaldur demonstrated what he had learned on the surface. He was ashamed to say that he had felt relief when Kaldur was once again on the surface. He would later feel especially guilty for that one.

It was a few months later that King Orion returned with tragic news. In his last mission as leader of Young Justice before handing the reins off to Robin Aqualad had been killed. It took what felt like hours for his kings' words to sink in. Aqualad was killed, Kaldur was dead. His brother was dead, gone, never to return to the world of the living again. They would never see each other again, they would never serve together on the palace guard, they would never tell their children of their adventures, and they would never die together.

A week later at the end of the designated mourning period King Orion swam up to Garth with a new offer. The king still needed a sidekick. He could use the name Aqualad as Kaldur had or come up with his own. He had the chance to serve his king on the surface in honor of his friend's memory, or to continue his life under the sea. He had a week to make his decisions and say his good-byes if he so choose. Garth had one week to make a decision that would change his entire life.

He could decide to stay in Atlantis with Tula. He could live life as he had for the last few moths to a year. He and Tula could live happily, but that happiness wouldn't come without a price. He would constantly feel the guilt weighing upon him. The thoughts that if he had been there then maybe, just maybe his friend… no his brother would still be alive.

His other option would be to leave his current life behind and pick up his deceased brother's mantle. He would live on the surface with new people, a new life. He would be able to visit every now and then, but his duties would be up there. If he chose to take his king's offer, then he would also be honoring his dead brother. Garth was lost in his decision until that night.

That night as he slept he dreamt of Kaldur, of the old days. It wasn't until the end of the dream that he could truly feel his friend's presence. When he felt that presence he apologized repeatedly until Kaldur cut him off. Kaldur told him to follow his hear because his heart would lead him to his destiny. When he awoke Garth had made his decision. Kaldur may have died, but the cause he died for was still in existence.

The name he would go by was a mystery to him. He could become Aqualad in honor of his dear fallen friend. His life, once perfect, had been torn apart as if a massive storm had hit it. Wait a minute… a storm. Garths' life was in chaos as he decided to leave Tula and his life in Atlantis behind him, as he chose to honor his fallen friend. As of that moment Garth was dead, burned to dust in the fire of life. On the other side of the fire a figure would rise, reborn like a phoenix. Out of those ashes he rose, neither as himself nor as Aqualad.

It was in the moment Garth died that he was truly born. Burned by fire, reborn through the ashes, and purified by water he rose.

In those moments **Tempest** was born.

**"Now would I give a thousand furlongs of sea for an acre of barren ground, long heath, broom, furze, anything. The wills above be done, but I would fain die a dry death"~ William Shakespeare _The Tempest_**

**AN) **Sorry about the where no atlantian has gone before comment, but I've been watching a lot of Star Trek lately. Live long and prosper!

Reviews are love


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